Beware Information Pollution About Cancer!

Today, when it comes to health, the source of information is much more important when accessing the information on every subject as easily as pressing a button. Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology Specialist says that patients should see their physicians as the only true source of information in both general health protection and treatment. Otherwise, it indicates that the risk of encountering undesirable consequences is high.

The fact that cancer ranks first among the causes of loss of life in the world makes it one of the most talked about topics on every platform. Our Oncologist states that the information presented in different titles, especially for dietary or lifestyle changes, can cause confusion and misbehavior in patients. While we are worried about what, how much, and in what order we will tell even to prospective medical students it is very important not to expose society to information bombardment. Our expert draws attention to the most common mistakes made by patients depending on the information they have acquired during the diagnosis and treatment phase…

Information Must be Systematically Provided to Society

“We hear so much information like 'potatoes are good for cancer', 'tomatoes protect you against cancer' or 'carrots trigger lung cancer' that at some point the information starts to contradict each other.” Some foods and lifestyles can make it easier to catch certain diseases, but they can also be preventive for certain diseases. Hence, it is not a problem if this information is given systematically to society just as it is given to a medical student. In this sense, the question "How should we eat in order not to get cancer in general?" would be more logical. It is important to warn society about the creation of general health awareness.” 

Do Not Try to be Your Own Doctor

The most important thing in society today is knowledge. However, the information pool on the internet contains both correct and incorrect information. Drawing attention to the difficulty of obtaining information that is useful and accurate in this scattered bombardment of information, our expert states: “Based on internet information, one should not try to become a doctor of one's own.” Pointing out that it is not possible to manage this information, our expertise continues as follows; "It is more difficult to correct the prejudices of patients who make false inferences and misinterpretations and to explain the treatment processes. This can also cause time losses. However, at this point, we need to underline that we are not talking about the interrogating patient, but about stubborn patients who believe in the accuracy of the information they have obtained."

Noting that the cancer diagnosis and treatment process does not tolerate the loss of time, our expert remarks: “Therefore, they need to accept their physicians as the only correct source of information, especially during the treatment process, and to get all the answers to their questions from their own physicians.”

Tell Your Doctor About Every Different Thing You Eat

Based on the information they have obtained; our expert says that some patients secretly use food supplements or herbs that are ineffective and endanger their lives.

“In other words, these products can not only eliminate the effect of the drugs taken by the patient but also cause side effects. If the patient is taking such additional substances, supplements, or different products, s/he must inform his/her physician. It's not just the patients' bad habits that are causing the problems; some mistakes in the healthcare industry are also triggering these problems. In this sense, I believe that healthcare professionals should also review their own actions, make self-criticism, and not make statements without evidence."

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